Had a great talk this afternoon with Griff and Aaz about the future for the series. We really slow things down this time. It's less structured and more conversational. It's also about 40 minutes longer than normal. We talk about the Sea God episodes and what they mean in the context of the new world. We also broach the God Hand and Elfhelm with speculations about the future, and what kind of scenario Guts may face when Casca is restored. Our re-read this episode focuses on the Revelations episodes in Volume 17. All that and embarassing personal injuries during the user questions!The SkullKast is now available on iTunes or any other Podcast program, by subscribing to: http://skullknight.net/podcast/rss.xml

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========================Episode 3 Notes:

Introductions

Berserk Talk

327 Continued

God Hand in the new world

Guts' condition

Character relationships in and post-Elfhelm

Future of Berserk

Re-Read: Volume 17: Revelations

Raban/Owen/King

Zodd's allegiance/motivations

The Child's oracle

Member Questions

Are there any other manga series that you're enjoying at the moment? Are there any that you'd recommend to the Berserk community? (Grail)

How has Berserk affected your outlook on art, or standards? Do you make comparisons to Berserk or is it separate from all else to you, in terms of quality, depth, personal value,etc. (Lord Leith)

Did you/do you consider yourself a fan of anime or manga in general before you were introduced to Berserk? If yes, has Berserk's stellar quality made it difficult for you to appreciate other series? (Saephon)

8-4 Play was definitely one of the bigger inspirations for the creation of this podcast. I admire Mark McDonald for keeping such a good pace and reign over his podcast. Don't really like anyone else on his show though. That JJ... ugh!

Really enjoying the discussions. I thought the comparison between Zodd and Guts at was certainly my favorite part of the discussion. I also really liked the examinations of certain sections of the series (focused on: symbolism, meaning, certain art styles that Miura used) are all things I'd like to see more of. Good job guys!

Really enjoying the discussions. I thought the comparison between Zodd and Guts at was certainly my favorite part of the discussion.

Thanks, I actually had more to say about Zodd/Guts, but got sidetracked looking through volumes for a particular passage while Aaz and Griff were talking. I found it much later but by then it was of no use to the conversation.

Basically in Volume 10 Guts tells Casca that after the Griffith rescue he plans to continue his journey, "fighting against stronger and stronger enemies." This is after he talks about being drawn to the sparks that come from sword against sword. That was the parallel I was trying to draw between Guts and Zodd.

Excellent podcast! I was kind of interested in what Griffith was going to say about the Kushans invading because of the dream but he never got around to it again. I never thought about that.

We got to it. He was referring to the oracle Silat talks about in Volume 21 and 22 (and briefly in Volume 18). It's what sent the Bakiraka to Albion at the moment Femto was incarnated, and Silat later mentions that it was the basis for the whole invasion. Of course, we get to know Ganishka's true motivations in more detail later on.

Now that I look at it, that instance in volume 22 may have been the first indirect reference to Daiba, who Silat calls "the high priest."

I was overstating it by saying it was a dream seen only by those in the Holy See countries. It was really seen by all who mattered, or would play a role in, the future events.

8-4 Play was definitely one of the bigger inspirations for the creation of this podcast. I admire Mark McDonald for keeping such a good pace and reign over his podcast. Don't really like anyone else on his show though. That JJ... ugh!

I expect nicknames for the cast next week

Mark has been doing podcast for many many years now, so he is someone to aspire to. I gotta say, you guys were able to talk for almost 2 hours, and it was never boring and there was hardly any dead air and this is barely your third podcast?! You guys are doing a great job

We actually went over that very quickly, would have benefited from a more in-depth discussion in order to avoid simplifying things.

That's one thing I'm hoping to hear from in this thread: the show's format. We sort of just danced from topic to topic with little guidance or consideration before moving on to the next. I think maybe there's a happy medium to be found between no structure and too much structure.

I think we also tried to tackle too many things at once, which resulted in the practically doubled duration.

By god, we're going to nail down the future of the God Hand, events on Elfhelm, Guts and Casca, Serpico's future, Guts and the Beast reconciliation, and EVERYTHING ELSE in 1 hour. Also, we have a re-read to do.

By god, we're going to nail down the future of the God Hand, events on Elfhelm, Guts and Casca, Serpico's future, Guts and the Beast reconciliation, and EVERYTHING ELSE in 1 hour. Also, we have a re-read to do.

You guys are doing a great job. And I'm not just saying this because it's from this forum. I've studied and worked for NBC and it's sister broadcasting companies, and Walter seems to have a good idea in writing the script of what topics are to be mentioned. The beauty of a podcast is that there are no rules. Much less formal and open to whatever direction you 3 want to take the topic to or move on from. Plus this is the first time you guys are doing this. Work in progress and moving on. While recording, always remember that there can be more episodes to cover everything. But if it's structure you guys are worried about, I'd suggest to not "hold back" onto whatever it is that any of you want to share. For instance, Walter... Give Aaz and Griff the list of topics that you wish to bring to air, and all you three can write down reminders of what you may think or question to bring up. Trying to figure all that stuff from your brain gets tricky, specially in the middle of a recording. People always forget something. Choose your guests wisely to benefit the topics and so on.

As for this episode, I truly enjoyed the God Hand discussion in general. And I loved the speculation or thoughts about what the "perfect world" could entirely be. Like said before, the audio quality was a major improvement and Walter opened up the episode flawlessly. Enjoyed the episode to the fullest and I think I speak for all that the little sessions where you guys get to be a bit more personal always gives it a nice taste. Kudos for the show, and thank you for taking god knows how much time to do this in general.

Usually podcasts revolve around a constant news cycle, which steers discussion for each episode. Berserk obviously doesn't have new "topics" or "events" to cover every two weeks, outside of the newest manga episode that comes out. So it makes sense that SkullKast be a bit less formulaic than the average podcast. I think this episode was the closest to a comfortable medium that you've had so far.

That being said, if you'd like to add some more structure to it, one trick I like a lot is musical or audio cues in between podcast segments. Some of my favorite podcasts (Dan Carlin's Common Sense, and The Instance.net back when I played WoW) have short, recurring sound effects preceding each major segment. It establishes a pattern, and helps break up an otherwise 60+ min block of conversation. Maybe we could benefit from something like that?

I've studied and worked for NBC and it's sister broadcasting companies, and Walter seems to have a good idea in writing the script of what topics are to be mentioned.

Wow, thanks! I appreciate it. It probably helps that I do interviews for my job almost every day over the phone, so I'm used to keeping conversation rolling even when not talking to someone face to face.

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But if it's structure you guys are worried about, I'd suggest to not "hold back" onto whatever it is that any of you want to share. For instance, Walter... Give Aaz and Griff the list of topics that you wish to bring to air, and all you three can write down reminders of what you may think or question to bring up. Trying to figure all that stuff from your brain gets tricky, specially in the middle of a recording. People always forget something.

Actually, for the first two podcasts, we kept very detailed show notes written and assembled throughout the week preceding the podcast. But I think that's what held us back in episode 2: I strictly adhered to the "script" and didn't allot enough time for tangents. And those tangents are often the best parts of a conversation. So this time, we didn't really have a script. I think it was like, "327" and "Volume 17" with a few more things to pull from in case we hit any dead air, but we didn't.

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As for this episode, I truly enjoyed the God Hand discussion in general.

Yeah, I told Aaz today that when he compared the GH's dark magic to human science I basically swooned in glee Such a cool parallel.

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Like said before, the audio quality was a major improvement and Walter opened up the episode flawlessly.

Thanks. I resolved the podcast's audio issues this time by having a silent fourth party (my PC) "listening in" to the convo and recording the Skype feed, while I talked through my Macbook. It's a complicated solution to a simple problem. But it worked great, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be how we do it from here on out. That is, until we all meet up for a LIVE podcast

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Enjoyed the episode to the fullest and I think I speak for all that the little sessions where you guys get to be a bit more personal always gives it a nice taste.

I also have fun with the personal stuff, and I'd like to do more of it. I missed an opportunity this time though... There's a French phrase: "L'esprit de l'escalier" that translates to "stairway wit." It refers to that feeling when you think of the correct reply after you've already left the room. I thought of a much better answer to "thing that not many people know about you" question that I feel stupid for not saying. Oh well... next time, maybe

Usually podcasts revolve around a constant news cycle, which steers discussion for each episode. Berserk obviously doesn't have new "topics" or "events" to cover every two weeks, outside of the newest manga episode that comes out. So it makes sense that SkullKast be a bit less formulaic than the average podcast.

This exact topic came up today between me and Aaz. The podcasts that I personally follow can keep a weekly pace because they're based around industries like video games or movies that are constantly creating fresh subjects. Berserk moves at a slower pace, obviously. So keeping it fresh will become exponentially more difficult for us moving forward, particularly if we stick to weekly releases.

I never intended to do a weekly show. But right now I'm in a kind of honeymooning period where I feel like recording another podcast as soon as we wrap up one. So I feel compelled to just keep doing it at this rate until we hit a real brick wall and are forced to break for a while.

We still have many topics to pull from, like for example, our thoughts and feelings about individual characters. We could do a whole show on SK or Guts, easily. But we're also open to topics. If you have ideas on that front, italicize them!

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I think this episode was the closest to a comfortable medium that you've had so far.

Thanks, and I agree. I'm trying to think of a way where we can prevent prematurely transitioning away from a topic in favor of another, but I believe that's just the nature of conversation.

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That being said, if you'd like to add some more structure to it, one trick I like a lot is musical or audio cues in between podcast segments. Some of my favorite podcasts (Dan Carlin's Common Sense, and The Instance.net back when I played WoW) have short, recurring sound effects preceding each major segment. It establishes a pattern, and helps break up an otherwise 60+ min block of conversation. Maybe we could benefit from something like that?

Okay a bit late to post but better later then never, listened to it last night, and now that I'm back home, I must honestly say, it was the best yet, you guys are constantly improving, and no worries Walter, you pronounced my username correctly. Thanks for answering the question.

Awesome Skullkast guys. The free flow really worked and I didn't even mind the longer length. The re-reading of volumes is an excellent idea and should sustain topics for the podcast for quite a while. It's always great to hear reflections on older volumes now that we can see their context in the larger story.

I especially liked the discussion on the dreams that everyone had of the Hawk of light. To spring board off of that, it might be interesting to discuss the oracles that have been mentioned on several occaisions by both the Kushan, Locus, and the Holy Iron Chain Knights. The territory is similar, but it seems like another way the God Hand are directly influencing the world pre-Falconia.

Great discussion about Zodd and Guts, would love to hear more of it, perhaps at their second duel.

A question though. The consensus seemed to be that most of the Hawks didn't know about Griffith's dream to have his own kingdom, and that most were simply in it for the money or to furthur their own personal ambitions. If this were the case, why would so many of them stick around and plan such an elaborate and risky rescue for their leader and not just seek employment with another mercenary company? Their loyalty after his capture seemed zealous enough to be more about a cause such as Griffith's dream. We can infer that Casca at least knew about it based on her 'Bonfire of Dreams' conversation with Guts, and their fight at the waterfall. But the question I guess is, would Griffith risk telling many of his men about his goal, as it was potentially treasonous?

Awesome Skullkast guys. The free flow really worked and I didn't even mind the longer length. The re-reading of volumes is an excellent idea and should sustain topics for the podcast for quite a while. It's always great to hear reflections on older volumes now that we can see their context in the larger story.

I enjoy the re-read section as well, but I'm trying to be judicious about what we talk about. I don't want it to become, say "Volume 19 and stuff." I want to pick particular topics that might even jump between a volume or two so that the discussion has a focus. Example: "The Eclipse." But not necessarily: "Volume 12."

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To spring board off of that, it might be interesting to discuss the oracles that have been mentioned on several occaisions by both the Kushan, Locus, and the Holy Iron Chain Knights. The territory is similar, but it seems like another way the God Hand are directly influencing the world pre-Falconia.

Sure we could talk about it, but I don't think there's much revelation that would occur. It's sort of a "what you see is what you get" kind of scenario. What we know is that the The Holy See and the HICKS reference written prophecies about the Falcon of Light and Darkness, but they both of course are referencing Femto/Griffith. The oracle Silat mentions in my opinion comes from the mass revelation that everyone else had.

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A question though. The consensus seemed to be that most of the Hawks didn't know about Griffith's dream to have his own kingdom, and that most were simply in it for the money or to furthur their own personal ambitions.

Nah, I don't think that's what we agreed on. I think you might be confused about which conversation I was referring to, but maybe I wasn't clear. I meant the talk from Volume 3, when Griff says he wants to discover his purpose in the world. That's when he tells Guts that he's "never talked like this with anyone before," and also when he expresses frustration at the social orders in control. I presume others got the "kingdom" speech, which is from Volume 5.

During the podcast, we couldn't find the specific line where Judo implies he knows Griffith's goal. But I just found it: Volume 8, Ep 34. Judo says:

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Griffith rose from having nothing to being a top general in Midland.That's practically a miracle itself. Ordinarily you'd throw your hands up and celebrate, without hoping for more.But ... he won't stop. The goal he pursues ... is one of a kind.

So as if we needed it to be spelled out, Judo does that here for us.

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But the question I guess is, would Griffith risk telling many of his men about his goal, as it was potentially treasonous?

That's a good question, but you have to understand that Griffith inspired trust and loyalty in his men. I'm sure that he trusted those that he told.